Sealed Chronicles
by Falara Hughes
Summary: Gradually this clump of Guild Wars fanfiction will be added to over time. The stories involve characters played by the author and friends.


**Pineapple and Jus**

Times were more hectic than they seemed in Kryta's tropical climate. The warm sunlight, sparse clouds and pearl-blue sky made everyday look perfect for outings. However, the mergoyle hordes kept the beaches all to themselves, and the Tengu refused to share the jungle paths with anyone but the occasional Fire Imps. At night, the undead made it impossible to enjoy a moonlit stroll.

All this was taken in by a Warrior that made her way from the gates of Kryta to Lion's Arch. Pineapple Delight--a name she has fought over many times--couldn't help but notice the overwhelming presence of undead and mergoyle running rampant in the jungle. Fire Imps on the way through the northern province of Kryta almost cremated her traveling companion, Orion. By the time they reached the safety of Lion's Arch, she was dragging the injured Elementalist on a makeshift palette of twigs and vines.

Once she dumped Orion where the Magi would see to him, Pineapple moved towards the dock. Each member of the Sealed Chronicles guild had been sent a request by the guild leader to meet at Lion's Arch. It would take days for the messages to reach their recipients, and several more for them to come together. Pineapple alone had made a three-day trek from the Frost Gate to the Lion's Arch, and by the looks of it, she was the only guild member to make it thus far. While waiting for the others, she decided to head south to the lighthouse for sight-seeing across the bay.

Someone had gotten there ahead of her. Jus Sanguis stretched and flexed as he performed the traditional dance of the Monk. His legs kicked out, his hips swiveled and his torso practically twisted around itself during a series of roundhouse kicks. Other Monks meditated standing still, he preferred finding his center through motion.

Pineapple couldn't resist the moment. As she came up the hill and caught sight of his dance, instinct for their past playfulness set in. With only a warcry and the clunk of her armor as a warning, she rapidly closed the distance between them with a sprint. Jus turned in time to catch her body in mid-air, but the weight of her platemail buckled his knees and sent him quickly to his backside. Days ago he underwent the ritual to receive gold Ascetic tattoos on his torso, and her armor mashing against his bare flesh suddenly reminded him that some of the marks were still sore.

"Hey, Juicy," Pineapple said as she smirked directly in his face.

"Hello to you, too, Pine," Jus Sanguis grunted as he struggled to breathe. If not for his sacred pants, his legs would have been scarred by the steel sequins of her loinguard.

She gripped his hair with an iron gauntlet and shook his head roughly. After being tattooed on both sides, all that was left on his scalp was a dark brown mohawk extending from his neck to his forehead. The gold tattoos that covered his upper half stood out against his tanned complexion, and each one held a vague glow that became more apparent when poked.

"So this is how you spend your hard-earned money, turning yourself into a walking parchment." Pineapple pushed away from Jus, then sat next to him at the edge of the cliff. The lighthouse was closed to outsiders, so the cliff it stood on was the highest point in Lion's Arch for gaining a distant view of the sea. These two guildmates sat together and watched ships return from their island expeditions.

"I see you've gotten some new armor," Jus commented as he touched a developing bruise on his chest. A quick healing prayer removed it immediately.

"Oh yeah," Pineapple laughed. "This warsuit almost cost me my soul, too. Sinestra and Winter both have I.O.U.'s floating over my head. I know the Priestess will wait, but Destra'll send that creepy brother of hers after me if I don't pay up soon."

"Honestly, I don't know which of those two are creepier," Jus said as he shrugged. "The one who kills everything he touches, or the one who likes watching him do it."

"True, true." They watched as a nine-sail cargo ship slowly eased its way into the makeshift dock. "Looks like the Ferry's finally arrived," Pineapple said as she used Jus' shoulders to help herself stand. "Shall we go greet our illustrious guild leader?"

He tumbled backwards to stand without using his hands. "Race you down," he called while already darting several feet ahead. Immediately Pineapple put her sprint into motion and closed the gap between them. Any other time, her cumbersome platemail would have given him the advantage. This time they were heading downhill, and the weight of her armor combined with the skill of her Warrior's sprint, soon put her in a definitive lead. Rather than stick to the grass path that winded down the entire mountainside, she took a branch off the path that went straight for an eastern section of the city's beachfront. Jus followed her route and found himself gaining ground once they hit sand.

The boat they were racing to meet had already docked to let passengers and cargo come ashore. Some seemed uncertain about using the makeshift dock, whose catwalk consisted of branches varying in thickness and shape. Some branches were so oddly placed, they left spaces large enough to drop a leg through. Quite a few fish used such gaps as last-ditch efforts for escape once they wriggled from the fisherman's nets.

These gaps were barely acknowledged by Destra Sinestra as she made her way from the deck of the ship to the end of the dock. Her boots graced the jury-rigged branches with their momentary presence, hovering unnaturally over the spaces that should have sent her tumbling unmercifully to her hands and knees. The leather of her outfit crunched miserably with every twitch of her body. Her Fanatics' robes were splashed with purple dye, a color of poison she especially preferred.

Close behind, her brother walked with a lurking posture which no one had ever seen him abandon. Hybrid Stigmata's steps were not as careful as his sister's, but he managed to avoid the gaps without looking. In fact, his wake left gaps of his own making--the soles of his shoes bled a black fungus that quickly ate away at the wood beneath them, creating holes similar to his shoesize. There were complaints from the passengers trying to walk behind him, but if Hybrid heard any of it, his glazed and forward-locked gaze would not denote this.

Pineapple Delight and Jus Sanguis were leaning on each other when the two Necromancers stepped off the dock. They lacked the breath to argue who had won their race, and by the time they regained it, the presence of their newfound company quickly destroyed their playful mood. Pineapple became rigid in her posture, staring ahead coldly. Jus' smile slowly decreased in width as tension enveloped their gathering.

Destra leveled a look of interest on the Fighting Monk and the Paladin. They were all of the same guild--their capes were colored with the same frost and navy blue colors behind the Sealed Chronicles' golden Aztec symbol. However, the Necromancer siblings had fickle loyalties.

"Pineapple Delight." Destra's purring, sleek tone came off cheerful beyond her black lips. "I have always wondered the origin of such a...fruitful name."

Pineapple's jaw tightened to the point where she had to flex it before she could speak. "That, is personal," she said as politely as she could with rising anger.

"Of course," Destra replied. "I always respect the personal matters of others. Which reminds me." Without command or warning, her brother stepped forward and at the same time, reached his right hand towards Pineapple's neck. Armor and all, she was lifted more than ten inches off the ground. Hybrid Stigmata towered over nearly everyone he came across and Pineapple was no exception. Standing on an even plane, she barely came past his hips. His own sister reached only the bottom ridge of his collarbone while he stood hunched over.

Jus quickly stepped forward to intercede, but stopped mid-step when Hybrid looked at him with a predator's glance. "Rest-assured, we are not here to spill blood," Destra announced. "It would be a waste. We want merely to emphasize the importance of matters personal to me."

Pineapple wrapped her gauntlets around the limb that held her. "The debt is only four days old," she grunted through what room her windpipe had between Hybrid's fingers. "I will have your money, just give me time!"

Jus Sanguis piped up with, "You have your own debts to me, Destra Sinestra! Do I go around choking you about it?"

She merely smiled at his question. "Ah yes. That reminds me as well." Destra pulled back flaps of tanned hide that fell around her legs, revealing the leather leggings that disappeared within her knee-high boots. The leggings were three shades blacker than her own skin, two shades blacker than her brother's. Each thigh was hugged by a belt that secured pocket-sized satchels to their hiding places. Destra took two satchels from her left thigh and let her skirt flaps resume dangling on either side of her legs.

"I believe twenty rolls of vellum and two vials of gold dye will cover it," she said as she removed the listed items from their holdings. Jus Sanguis accepted his repayment with apprehension. "I fully believe in honoring one's debts in an expedient manner," Destra added as she put away her satchels. "Now. The next time I see you, Lady Delight, I hope you too will hold such honors in high esteem."

Hybrid dropped the Paladin as fast as he had picked her up. Her armor clattered, her Fellblade dropped from its clip, and her helmet rolled from its hip securement. Dockworkers stopped to see the end result of a Warrior's mistreatment at the hands of a Necromancer--Tall, short, strong or weak, no Warrior would ever allow disrespect at such a level. Bystanders knew as much and were expecting a fight.

Jus tried to collect Pineapple and her things fast enough to prevent a fight, but as soon as he touched his friend's elbow, he was shoved aside. Pineapple's eyes rippled like melted gold with the anger she projected in Hybrid's direction. In return, the fog-like hue of his eyes effortlessly relayed his spite.

"You think you can catch me off-guard and threaten me with your corpse-of-a-brother," Pineapple bellowed. "I said I would _get_ your Grenth-damned money and I will! But so help me, if that meat puppet of yours even points a finger in my direction again I'll chop it off at the elbow!'

"It would not be the first time," Destra replied, unbothered by the Paladin's ire. The siblings turned in unison to walk away from the meeting place, but were stopped suddenly as Jus Sanguis darted into their path.

"Aren't we supposed to be meeting Drikon here," he asked.

"Ah yes. That reminds me as well." Destra took from her hiding place a roll of parchment that was decorated by a written decree. "The meeting has been canceled. Lord Dragonheart is away on business to the Temple of Ages."

Jus took hold of the parchment and skimmed over its decree. "A meeting of the guild leaders?"

"Dragonheart always finds some excuse at the last minute," Pineapple said as she stood next to Jus. "I swear, the Magi need to get together and create a more efficient form of travel and communication! It would save me such a trip."

"If there was no meeting, why did the two of you come," Jus asked the Necromancers. They focused twin smiles on Pineapple Delight. She matched their looks with a grimace, ignoring the chill that crept up her spine.

"We have an engagement at the hot springs," Destra said once the eerie moment passed. "Then we head east to help what's left of Ascalon rebuild. A foolish effort on their part, we know. But where there is death and profit, you will always find a servant of Grenth." This time, she and her brother walked away without interruption. Bystanders had already gone about their business when the potential bout turned into a fruitless yelling match. Jus Sanguis and Pineapple Delight stared after their antagonists left, then the Monk offered the Paladin her helmet.

Pineapple snatched the gear from him and tucked it under her left arm. "I swear to Balthazar, Drikon should have never put those two in this guild," she said. "Come on, Juicy. You have to help me earn the money to pay them off."

"But Pine--"

"No but's! My butt is on the line and if I don't procure that gold by the time they cross paths with me again, I'll either have to kill myself or both of them, whichever's easiest in the impending situation!"

Jus let off an exasperated sigh. "How much do you owe Destra?"

Pineapple sighed in the same manner. "Three platinum bars. And I only have seven-hundred and fifty gold coins back home. I suppose I could clean out my storage space and put some things to auction, but that's a fortnight journey and that Dolyak, Hybrid, will probably come looking for me by then."

"Why don't I just pay the debt for you?"

"What, and owe you from now on?"

"Well, at least I won't try to choke you over it."

Pineapple fixed her helmet over her head. "I've got a better idea. I saw some beached ships along the coast of Scoundrel's Rise. Mergoyles were all over them, probably using the hulls as nests. You help me clean out the mergoyles, then we take whatever salvage is there and sell it at the gates of Kryta."

"_If_ there's any salvage." Jus sighed again. "Very well. Since there's no guild meeting, I don't have plans for the next few days. Just let me get my axe out of storage."

* * *

Half a day went by during their trek to the gates of Kryta and it was well into the night when they arrived. They settled down to sleep at the base of the central mound where the merchants conducted their business--not the most comfortable place for sleeping, but Kryta's gateway was never meant to be a settlement. It marked the entrance to paradise for those coming from the eastern wastelands, and a last chance to purchase exotic souvenirs for those leaving the west. In the coming decades, merchants would convert the gate into a flourishing center of trade. Until then, it would merely be the safest place to rest between Beacon's Perch and Lion's Arch.

"Come on, Juicy. Eat your rations and let's go."

Jus Sanguis opened one eye to find a loaf of rye bread and a lump of cheese being offered to him. Dawn had passed and few wisps of clouds lingered in the clear blue sky.

Pineapple sat next to him once he sat up to take his food. "We'll hit the cove as soon as you finish," she said. "Even if it's already been scavenged, we could take on the mergoyles there and harvest their skulls."

"You sure you wouldn't rather borrow the money from me," he asked. "You could pay it back whenever. I wouldn't even care if you didn't. I make that and more easily enough."

"Are you kidding? I'm not going to spend my life owing debts!"

"Okay, okay, don't flip out." They sat in silence while Jus nibbled on his bread. "So. Why is your name Pineapple," he asked.

The question was received better from him than it was from Destra earlier. "You mean I never told you," Pineapple asked her longtime friend. "Well, Dwayna bless her soul, it was my mother's idea. She expected me to follow in her footsteps as an Elementalist."

Jus Sanguis laughed. "They do have some of the most ridiculous names, don't they?"

"Yeah. Then again, what's in a name if you can send a bolt of lightning through anyone that laughed at it?" She shrugged. "I was too much like my father, though. And he wasn't helping my mother's case by encouraging my warrior's spirit. After she died, I didn't want anything to do with the elemental arts anymore. But I kept the name, for better or worse, to keep something of her with me."

"Wow. Who knew you were that deep."

She rolled her eyes and shook his head by his mohawk. Their mood elevated, their breakfast was eaten, then they went to set Pineapple's plan in motion.

* * *

Over the centuries, many ships had washed up against the shore of Scoundrel's Rise, pushed there by storms, or merely settled where lakes and rivers once covered the land. Mergoyles and bog skales used their rotting hulls for nests and during hard times, food. The two differing species seemed to tolerate each other's presence, even cooperating to take down intruders to their territory. Scavengers left the horde in half-day shifts to stalk the caravans that passed by their location. Jus Sanguis and Pineapple Delight ran into a few scavenging groups on their way to the ship's graveyard, but took them on without difficulty. Any mergoyles they killed, they collected the heads from, knowing there was money in selling their skulls once the meat was boiled from them.

As soon as Pineapple's boots touched more sand than moss on the path from Kryta's gates, she stopped and held back her traveling companion. "Okay. On my way past this area before, I counted at least seventeen mergoyles hovering around the ships," she stated. "There could have been some on patrol, of course, but since we just took out a scavenging party, there may still be only seventeen left."

"And that's still a lot of mergoyle to deal with at once," Jus noted. "Not to mention the bog skales that might be lurking."

"Oh come on. Mergoyles only let a few bog skales live with them at a time to eat their scraps and move their dung. They're like the custodians of the horde!"

"Custodians that can curse you with the price of failure..."

She frowned. "Look, do you wanna help me or not?"

"Of course. If I don't go with you, you'll just go anyway and get yourself killed."

"Nice to know you care. Now let's try and lead some away from the horde to pick them off a few groups at a time. Getting jumped by seventeen crowing mergoyles is not my idea of a good time."

"Gotcha."

They moved to the edge of the shadowed inlet where four ships of varying sizes were broken and barely recognizable. Mergoyles ran in and around the ships' worn planks, and bog skales gnawed on the age-old moss and barnacles that still clung to their bows. A quick head count revealed more present than previous thought--at least twenty-three mergoyles and seven bog skales.

"So there are six more to deal with," Pineapple whispered. "We can handle it. Just stick to the plan!"

"If you say so..."

Slowly, they stepped out of hiding, inching towards a mergoyle that had its back to them. If they could just kill that one, raise the attention of a few others, then lead them away from the larger group, they could have the entire horde dead by late afternoon. But, as soon as they came within three feet of the resting creature, a pair of arrows whizzed out of nowhere and stuck in the sand, one at the tip of Pineapple's left boot, the other at the tip of Jus Sanguis' right sandal.

"WHAT THE HELL," Pineapple shrieked as she raised her sword. The mergoyle looked over its shoulder and quickly ran away, hooting in distress to call for reinforcements. The entire cove filled with baying, screeching and shrieking from the angry horde that prepared to defend its territory. Then, the warcry ceased, giving way to an unusual crooning sound. All of the mergoyles stood pensive in the silence that followed and their intruders were rightfully confused.

"What was that all about," Jus said in a quiet tone.

"More importantly, when did mergoyles learn to shoot arrows," Pineapple wondered as she stooped to grab the one near her foot.

"Leave it!"

They looked up to a high, mossy ledge where half a ship was propped by its keel. A Ranger stood in between a bog skale and a mergoyle, keeping two arrows aimed and her longbow pulled. She was of average height, her sandy hair was disheveled and full of debris, and her skin had tanned from constant sun exposure. Whatever Ranger's garb she wore in the past had almost completely been torn away, its bits and pieces gradually replaced by scales from the bogs and skin from the mergoyles. Something that resembled a horn hung from her neck by a strap of dried seaweed.

"You have got to be kidding," Pineapple said as she slowly stood upright.

"What do you want here," the Ranger called, her petite voice echoing in all directions.

"We're just here to salvage the ships," Jus Sanguis shouted up to her.

"It looked to me like you were about to split Liam's head open!"

"Liam?"

Pineapple rolled her eyes. "Great. They're her pets." She called up to the Ranger, "Don't be silly! You can't get good money for their skulls if they're cracked!"

"You're not helping," Jus told her, then shouted, "What do we call you?"

"I am Leaf Pinesoul," the Ranger replied, "and I have been living with this particular mergoyle horde for more than three years now!"

"Right, so you're insane by association," Pineapple said. "Well all we really want are any potential goods in those ship hulls that can be sold at the gates of Kryta. Do you mind if we take a look?"

"Of course I mind! And the mergoyles do as well! You are encroaching upon their territory! Humans always are, and then have the nerve to kill them and take their skulls to market for barbaric souvenirs!"

"Looks who's talking! You're covered from head to foot in skales and skin!"

Jus Sanguis sighed. "Pine..."

"I only collect my materials from those who have passed away naturally," Leaf yelled. "_Or_, the ones that have been _murdered_ by your kind!"

"Newsflash, mer-girl," Pineapple replied. "You _are_ one of our kind! Ever think you've been spending a little too much time out here amongst the wildlife?"

"I'd rather live amongst them than you barbarians any day! They have an undeniable system of cooperation that they live by on a daily basis! They don't suddenly turn on each other, deceive each other, or try and skin flint each other for a few measily gold coins!" The Ranger pulled her bowstring a few inches tighter. "Now leave this area before I clip you both!"

Jus Sanguis turned to walk away, but Pineapple took a threatening step towards the center of the cove. Leaf Pinesoul reacted as she promised, releasing her two arrows towards the Paladin's chest and throat. Pineapple simply held her sword parallel to her body and the two arrows bounced harmlessly off its wide blade. "You idiotic children of Melandru need to check for toxins before you chew on tree bark," she called to the Ranger, then deflected two more arrows that came her way. "Now I don't know what man, or woman, dumped your dumb behind and traumatized you so, but you need to grow up and get back to civilization!" Another deflection. "I need money, my ass is on the line, and if killing you and these mergoyles will solve my problems, well then, I'll try to refrain from getting teary eyed in the process!"

"Pineapple, stop!" Jus Sanguis spun her around by one shoulder and shook her to gain her attention. "You're being irrational! What you need is not worth the life of anyone, and Leaf Pinesoul is right. We have no business going into the heart of mergoyle territory, killing their old and young to satisfy greed!"

"But it's not greed," Pineapple protested, "it's desperation!"

Jus sent a gust of healing breeze over her shoulder to deflect two more arrows that came their way. "There are other ways, Pine, and you know it. Stop being bull-headed!" He stepped around her, threw her cape over her head, then dug through her backpack. "Here," he called to Leaf Pinesoul as he threw down several mergoyle heads. "We apologize for coming here unnecessarily! We will look for other ways to earn money."

"Well at least one of you is redeemable," Leaf said as she lowered her weapon. "Leave here, now. If you look back, I will sound my dragon's horn and signal the mergoyles that you are a threat."

"We understand." Jus led his friend back to the path they came from, back in the direction of Kryta's gateway.

* * *

Pineapple Delight threw her cape away from her face and pulled her helmet off so that he could see the look of anger she projected. "Do you know how screwed I am right now? All we had to do was knock her ass out, kill all those mergoyle and head back to the gates with enough skulls, skin and scales to settle my debt!"

Jus had to jog to keep up with her angry stride. "Knowing you, Pine, you would have taken her skull and skin as well. Look, why don't we head back to the gates for some supplies, then to Beacon's Perch and help refugees? They're always willing to pay guides to bring them safely to Kryta's border."

"And how many days do you think that will take?"

"Do you really have any options at this time? Geez, you drag me on this money scheme, claiming you need my help, then when I give you an idea you turn it down!"

They stopped and turned to face each other. "If I didn't think I'd have to hurt you to get it done, I'd go back there and finish what I started," Pineapple said. "Why can't you just let me have a stupid plan for a change?"

"How about because it _is_ stupid! Your money-making schemes are always stupid! That's why you're broke and in debt now!"

She pointed the blade of her sword at him. "You wanna repeat that _while_ I have my sword ready to split you in two?"

"Oh you bet I would," he replied, but their argument stopped when they heard the sound of turning wheels. A covered wagon was on its way east from the gates, pulled by a yak and driven by a dwarf. Jus and Pineapple stood on opposite sides of the road to let the cart pass, but continued to glare at each other. Then their attention went to the cart as it stopped between them.

"Something the matter," Pineapple started to ask the driver, then stepped back when she saw Hybrid Stigmata step down from the back of the wagon. Destra Sinestra came out next, holding her brother's hand for support. In her free hand, she held what looked to be a peculiar umbrella with a flat, metal shade, using it to shield her eyes from the midday sun. The Necromancers approached the Paladin but stopped as she levelled her in their direction. Once he saw what was going on, Jus Sanguis ran around to stand next to Pineapple Delight.

"What, are you guys following me now," she said to the Necromancers.

"Tsk, such paranoia," Destra observed. "As I told you before, we are on our way east to profit from Ascalon's ruin. I would have expected you to be hiding somewhere in Lion's Arch, rather than risking a chance meeting with myself and my brother." She lowered her umbrella to her side and shook its handle. The shade fell sideways and clipped to a latch on the handle, revealing the umbrella to be an axe with a circular blade. "Since we are here, however," she went on to say," shall we complete our business transaction?"

Pineapple set her helmet back over her face as she said, "I'm ready." But before she could take on a stance, Jus Sanguis once again threw her cape over her head and rooted through her backpack.

"Allow me," he said as he took three platinum bars from the pack and held them outward.

Hybrid Stigmata took the bars and examined them. Then he passed them to his sister, who placed them in the back of the wagon. Pineapple threw back her cape in time to see the transaction, then looked dumbfounded at her friend.

"We were going to try and earn a little bit more before we ran into you again," Jus Sanguis said, "so we wouldn't be completely broke during our travels. But at least the debt is settled now, right?"

Destra studied the look on Pineapple's face, then directed her response to the Monk. "Of course. And so punctual as well. It is unfortunate that we have to leave you without funds, but you understand. Business should always come before other expenses." She turned a gold band on the hilt of her axe and the blade resumed its umbrella form. Once again her brother held her hand while she climbed the wagon, then joined her under its cover. The driver signaled his yak and it pressed on, continuing in the direction of the Deldrimor Bowl.

Pineapple watched calmly as the covered wagon turned a corner in the road. "So when'd you slip the bars in my backpack," she asked.

"When I put those mergoyle heads in on our way from the gates," Jus replied as he watched with her. "Don't worry about paying me back. Like I said, it's easy for me to earn it back on my own." He turned to face her. "And you do have lousy money-making schemes, you know."

"I know. But I'm still going to pay you back somehow." She smiled and slapped him roughly across the back. "You're coming home with me, Juicy! I'll get dad to make some of his famous yak butter grog and wolf meat stew, then we'll join the guys at The Coal Miner's Daughter for some carousing and rough-housing!"

"Yak butter grog?" Jus Sanguis started to protest, but she pulled him by his wrist and started sprinting towards the east.


End file.
